Spirit begin March home schedule with Kingston Friday night
Saginaw, Mich. — The Saginaw Spirit (44-15-1-1) face the Kingston Frontenacs (28-29-3-0) at home for the second and final time this season on March 8th.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:05 PM
Tickets:
Phone: (989) 497-7747
In-Person: Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State St.), Dow Event Center Box Office
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 470
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Last Time:
Saginaw’s last game was a 3-2 overtime defeat on Wednesday, March 6th, at the Dort Financial Center. Flint scored late into the first, setting a 1-0 Firebirds lead entering the second. Saginaw responded with two quick goals halfway through the second, setting up a 2-1 Spirit lead entering the third. Flint evened the score early in the third and set a 2-2 tie entering OT. With less than 30 seconds remaining in OT, the Firebirds snuck in a goal, finishing off a 3-2 loss for Saginaw.
Rodwin Dionicio finished with two points (1G, 1A), and Josh Bloom netted his ninth of the season in the Spirit’s only other goal. Andrew Oke started for Saginaw, stopping 30 of 33 shots before falling in OT.
Kingston last played on Sunday, March 3rd, where the Frontenacs fell to the Kitchener Ranges 3-2 in OT at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Both Kingston and Kitchener scored in the first and second, setting up a 2-2 tie entering the third. The Frontenacs and Rangers played stout defense in the third, only combining for 13 shots en route to an overtime period. With less than a minute to go in OT, Kitchener scored, solidifying a 3-2 OT loss for Kingston.
Ethan Miedema netted his 18th of the season early in the first, while Jacob Battaglia collected his 30th late into the second. JJ Salajko guarded the goal crease for Kingston, turning away 24 of 27 shots before falling in overtime.
This Season:
The Spirit took a 7-2 victory over the Frontenacs at the Leon’s Center on January 21st.
Alex Christopoulos finished with three points (2G, 1A), including his first multi-goal game with the Saginaw Spirit. Owen Beck and Joey Willis finished with one-and-one nights, and Nolan Lalonde started for the Spirit, turning away 27 of 29 shots in the win.
Gabriel Frasca scored his ninth, and former Spirit center Luke McNamara netted his fourth of the season halfway through the second. Jax Dubois, Linus Hemström, and Christopher Thibodeau all added assists, and Mason Vaccari stopped 19 of 26 shots in the loss.
Players to Watch:
Zayne Parekh leads the Spirit in points with 86 (Most among OHL defensemen), assists with 56 (fourth in the OHL). Owen Beck currently leads the team in goals (32) and is coming off a recently-snapped 12-game point streak, collecting 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. Josh Bloom is currently riding a five-game point streak, having collected one goal and five assists during that time. Andrew Oke currently leads Saginaw in all major goaltending categories, holding a 3.00 goals-against average, an .889 save percentage, 25 wins, and one shutout.
Paul Ludwinski currently leads the Frontenacs in points (60) and assists (41). Jacob Battaglia is just a little behind, collecting 58 points, including a team-leading 30 goals. Battaglia also leads the team in powerplay goals with 11, combining with Matthew Soto (10 powerplay goals) for a deadly top-five powerplay. Jax Dubois has been productive in the faceoff dot, sporting a 58.6% mark, all while providing 0.88 points per game. Kyle Downey leads Kingston in GAA with a 2.80 and a shutout through four games, and Mason Vaccari leads in save percentage (.887), and wins with 23.
Saginaw currently has ten (10) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Josh Bloom (Vancouver), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Owen Back (Montreal), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Jorian Donovan (Ottawa), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim) and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA).
Kingston currently has five (5) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Ethan Miedema (Buffalo), Paul Ludwinski (Chicago), Quinton Burns (St. Louis), Jacob Holmes (Dallas), and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay).
